Chapter 66: Are You Not Afraid?

"New County Magistrate? Are you the newly appointed County Magistrate?"

He had never heard of a County Magistrate being this fierce; didn't most of those who came in the past turn out to be weak scholars? He had been working his way up from constable to head constable for over ten years, and the strongest County Magistrate to ever come to Sanshui County had only been in the Postnatal Realm at best; when had he ever seen someone this terrifying?

But why did this name sound a bit familiar? It felt like he had heard it somewhere before. Wait, Shen Yu? Could it be that Shen Yu, the County Magistrate of Baian County in Tanzhou?

Unable to stop himself from looking the person before him up and down again, the more Lu Ze looked, the more he felt this person resembled the Baian County Magistrate from the intelligence reports. They had previously received news that the imperial court was sending a new County Magistrate, but they hadn't known who it was; could it really be this lord?

"Head Constable Lu, do you know me?"

"I don't, but the name 'Peerless in Zither and Sword' has been very loud recently. Anyone capable of wiping out a branch hall of the Golden Rain Tower single-handedly is certainly no ordinary person!"

"Those are just rumors from the pugilistic world; it's actually not that fierce!" Shen Yu was somewhat embarrassed that this title had even spread to Sanshui County. The title 'Peerless in Zither and Sword' felt far too shameful; what kind of ridiculous name was that anyway?

"It really is you!" The Shen Yu opposite him did not deny it, which meant the person before him was truly the 'Peerless in Zither and Sword' who had been the talk of the town recently. The imperial court had actually sent this lord to Sanshui County. Incredible, simply incredible!

Although Lu Ze had not yet seen the other party's sword techniques, he had witnessed the terror of that zither music with his own eyes. Over a hundred experts from Fen Shui Gang, plus several masters who were not inferior to himself, hadn't even been able to struggle or flee; the horror of his strength could be imagined.

With such a fierce person crossing the river, I fear a great upheaval is about to stir in Sanshui County!

"Head Constable Lu, I originally thought the Sanshui County Government Office was rotten from top to bottom and needed to be cut away. But your appearance has changed my perspective. You remain untainted despite being in the mud; you are quite good!"

"Many thanks for your praise, My Lord!" Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Lu Ze felt fortunate that he had been decisive enough to come and save people today, which had reversed the impression he left in this new County Magistrate's mind.

Otherwise, based solely on the fact that he had personally knocked this lord unconscious and delivered him to Fen Shui Gang today, the first thing this new County Magistrate would likely do upon reaching the County Government Office would be to use him as the first target.

At that point, he truly wouldn't be able to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River. You say you were only playing along with them, but who could prove it? All everyone knows is that you are greedy and insatiable, taking bribes and extorting at every turn. In the eyes of others, if Lu Ze were a good person, there wouldn't be any bad people left on the streets.

At this moment, Lu Ze also felt a lingering fear; it goes to show that even if you pretend to be in league with them, you can't go too far. What if someone comes along to uphold justice? You wouldn't even have a place to cry.

"Heaven Frost Fist!" Just as Lu Ze was feeling awkward, Shen Yu, who was nearby, had already arrived at the side of the rockery and swung a fist toward the rockery not far away.

The rockery, two people tall, shattered instantly under this punch. Countless stone fragments were covered in a thick layer of frost, and wisps of cold air kept surging forth uncontrollably.

"Hiss, what an overbearing fist technique!" Such a terrifying fist technique caused Lu Ze's pupils to constrict. This County Magistrate was definitely not just 'Peerless in Zither and Sword' as the rumors claimed. At the very least, the fist technique and light-body technique he saw today were at the pinnacle, enough to make one feel awe and fear.

He truly didn't know where such a freak came from, having such cultivation at such a young age. Thinking of himself, already past thirty and still hovering in the Postnatal Realm, he used to think he was someone of note, but now he felt his self-esteem had suffered a heavy blow.

This wasn't someone sent to be a County Magistrate; he was clearly sent to provoke ordinary people like them.

"Found it!" From a hidden compartment beneath the rockery, Shen Yu found the things he wanted to find and opened them to take a look. Inside were not only records of leverage against other gangs but also an account book.

The account book recorded the general income and expenditures of Fen Shui Gang. According to the book, Fen Shui Gang was responsible for swindling, kidnapping, and capturing people; some of those captured would be sold to brothels or the secret dens operated by the White Bamboo Gang.

The rest were handed over to the Long River Hall, which had specialized people responsible for training and finding sales channels. From top to bottom, it had formed a complete industrial chain. Looking at this situation, these bastards hadn't been doing this for just a day or two.

Besides listing the gangs that had financial dealings with Fen Shui Gang, the account book also recorded some expenditure details. The bulk of the expenses were payments made to the County Government Office; everyone in the office from top to bottom needed to be greased.

Among those who received the most bribes, aside from the County Lieutenant who seemed impossible to satiate, it seemed to be this Head Constable Lu before him. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Shen Yu might have really mistaken him for a corrupt official and just finished him off right then and there.

After roughly flipping through the account book, Shen Yu looked at the other records. Most of what was written above were small gangs that had some competitive relationship with Fen Shui Gang; it was normal for everyone to look for leverage on each other and trip each other up whenever they could.

And precisely because they were competing with each other, they knew each other's backgrounds clearly, and the records were quite detailed.

As for those truly major powers, Fen Shui Gang wasn't at that level yet. Even if they happened to know something by chance, Jiang Buming would never dare to keep even a shred of it.

Because he knew very well that the tiny bit of leverage he kept couldn't possibly damage their foundations. But if they found out he was secretly hiding leverage on them, even a tiny bit, it would bring a catastrophic disaster upon Fen Shui Gang.

Moreover, Fen Shui Gang only did the most menial, grueling work. Those larger powers controlled the docks and major transportation routes; a little bit of brainpower was enough for them to make a fortune.

Yet the lower the power, the more despicable their methods; to make money, they used every trick in the book. Forcing women into prostitution, setting up traps—the various methods were truly shocking!

Opening gambling dens and setting up scams—who knows how many families had been torn apart. Just in the records Shen Yu held, there were no small number of people who had been forced to ruin, selling their children due to high-interest loans.

Putting away these records, Shen Yu's expression was not good; a murderous intent had already arisen in his heart. "Head Constable Lu, do you dare to stir up trouble in this Sanshui County with me?"

"Stir up trouble? How does My Lord intend to do it?"

"A dark night for killing!" Looking up at the pitch-black sky and patting the intelligence in his hand, Shen Yu said coldly, "Before dawn tomorrow, I want these gangs to vanish into thin air!"

"Hiss!" This lord had such a great murderous intent; was he really going to play this big right from the start? It was clear he wasn't joking, so even Lu Ze had to become cautious at this moment.

"My Lord, have you really thought this through? Once you make such a big move, there will be no room for turning back! Think of the previous two County Magistrates; you, are you not afraid?"

These gangs, which encompassed half of the small gangs in Sanshui County, were naturally easy to wipe out in the eyes of this County Magistrate. But if they were all wiped out, the entire Sanshui County might be in a state of panic by tomorrow.

Those major powers, those who were truly in charge, would all turn their eyes here. In the eyes of these major powers, these small gangs being wiped out was of no consequence, but this precisely represented the attitude of the new County Magistrate.

Such a tough County Magistrate was not what everyone wanted! In a word, Sanshui County did not need a County Magistrate who caused trouble, and it certainly did not allow such a hard-headed person to exist!

"Afraid? What a joke! This official intends to tell them that since I have arrived, their good days are at an end!"